What is humanity’s greatest problem? It’s not global warming, not nuclear weapons, not environmental degradation, not even war.
We die. 150,000 people die daily, 56 million people die annually, a number greater than the population of Canada.
But we package everything in our society as if death does not exist, as if everything lasts forever.
The young professional puts in ungodly hours in the hopes of a bigger promotion, forgetting to eat or exercise, the environmentalist stresses and throws temper tantrums while strategizing the next protest, the celebrity athlete consumes hormones or undergoes surgery to suppress any sign of age.
Transcending the cycle birth and death means we avoid the possibility of repeating this bug-like existence (such as in the Metamorphosis). To do so, we must accept death as imminent. Life is short, so we treasure every moment, every person and every resource.
We change the world by changing ourselves, particularly by transforming our mind. Mind training sustains compassionate action. Instead of hedonism in the face of imminent death, we use the brief time available to us to develop insight and kindness.
Resolution for death lies in:
*Facing it;
*Accepting it and becoming comfortable with the idea that death is eventual;
*Using it as a reminder for life while we have it;
*Transcending it. The assumption that births and deaths repeat in a cycle can refer to the microcosmic death and birth of a thought, an emotion, or an impulse, or the macrocosmic death and birth of a life in this time and space. Time and space are relative and in fact an illusion as Einstein pointed out. Hence, it is also possible that the micro and macro are very much related.
Either way, salvation arrives upon awakening. And in short, the real solution to resolving the problem of death is to wake up to it.
8/29/2010
Without Compassion, What Hope?
Race relations, immigration, Ground Zero and many other issues are sparking debates across a wide spectrum of politicos and religious.
What does an apolitical Buddhist nun wish to offer?
I used to have strong opinions about various issues related to what I perceive to be discrimination and injustice. Why? I was an immigrant to the United States at the age of ten. Having personally experienced differential treatment based on my ethnicity and culture, one of my first jobs I took on after college was a civil rights investigator. Constantly searching for discrimination with detective magnifier tore me apart emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. And now as a Buddhist nun looking to celebrate differences among traditions, I recognize that in general, Western theories of justice begin with the intention to legitimize and ensure the individual's freedom to pursue his or her own interests.
Consequently, justice can mean different things to the family of the victim and the family of the perpetrator. According to Sallie King's Buddhist critique of popular conceptions of justice, justice is often associated with these four common forms of politics that perpetuate conflict instead of ending it:
1. Identity politics: The sense of victimhood nourishes suffering and keeps it going generation to generation.
2. Righteous indignation: The angry sense that we are justified and the others wrong.
3. Justice: The insistence on finding justice before there can be peace.
4. Revenge: In particular the concept of justice based on retribution perpetuates conflict.
Bishop Desmund Tutu stirs us to confront injustice with this, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." I believe this requires skillful means and consideration for the long term out of compassion, rather than a strident attitude of “anti-injustice”.
It is said that to generate genuine compassion, one needs to realize that one is suffering, that an end to suffering is possible, and that others want to be free from suffering too. Furthermore, as Sharon Salzberg explains, "Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary. Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, and to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion...is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception."
For instance, a Buddhist woman was harassed, cursed and spit upon with vituperation by a gangster on the street. The hoodlum only succeeded in frightening the woman in the end, but she was quite upset by the incident. When the woman reached her teacher to ask what she should have done, “What would have been the appropriate, Buddhist response?”
The teacher said very simply, "You should have very mindfully and with great compassion whacked the attacker over the head with your umbrella."
I do not think justice as a virtue can be or should be done away with for the society at large; but when I perceive injustice, I accept it as my karma. The law of cause and effect has time and again proven to me that I am responsible for what I experience. When I perceive others experiencing injustice though, I try to mindfully act from any or all of the following bases:
1. The law of cause and effect. I determine my future karma depending on whether I alleviate, exacerbate or remain indifferent to the pain of any and all parties involved. It is not to be used as a concept to ridicule others or worse, intensify their difficulty.
2. Common humanity. Compassion is not reserved for only those who are compassionate to us or any specific sector of individuals, but all beings. All beings wish to leave suffering and attain happiness. Most fundamentally to Buddhists, all beings have the potential to realize awakening. “All sentient beings have the Buddha nature, no different than the Buddha himself.” (Avatamsaka Sutra)
3. Interbeing. We are all intimately connected in some way or another, “Our natures interpenetrate and interconnect in infinite intersections.” (Avatamsaka Sutra)
Reflecting on those who have experienced grave injustice acknowledged by all -- Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and others -- they never asked for justice avenged; instead, they ask for compassion even for those perpetrators against them and their people. So too, in the well-known conversation the young Buddha had with his cousin, the Buddha held the swan Devadatta shot down and cared for it because, “A life belongs to one who tries to save it, not one who tries to take it."
What is noteworthy from the Buddhist perspective too is that compassion requires a big heart that is not particularly sticky with a person or issue. This non-attachment allows us to access a pause before we respond to a challenging situation. Action or non-action from that objective state of mind prevents further aggravation and aggression. I know when I ask for compassion for myself, it is hardly about standing up and fight for myself. Compassion for myself is about the ceasing of anger, guilt and resentment -- it is about forgiveness. Along that line, I only wish compassion for all, may all suffer no more and may peace make their hearts full.
What does an apolitical Buddhist nun wish to offer?
I used to have strong opinions about various issues related to what I perceive to be discrimination and injustice. Why? I was an immigrant to the United States at the age of ten. Having personally experienced differential treatment based on my ethnicity and culture, one of my first jobs I took on after college was a civil rights investigator. Constantly searching for discrimination with detective magnifier tore me apart emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. And now as a Buddhist nun looking to celebrate differences among traditions, I recognize that in general, Western theories of justice begin with the intention to legitimize and ensure the individual's freedom to pursue his or her own interests.
Consequently, justice can mean different things to the family of the victim and the family of the perpetrator. According to Sallie King's Buddhist critique of popular conceptions of justice, justice is often associated with these four common forms of politics that perpetuate conflict instead of ending it:
1. Identity politics: The sense of victimhood nourishes suffering and keeps it going generation to generation.
2. Righteous indignation: The angry sense that we are justified and the others wrong.
3. Justice: The insistence on finding justice before there can be peace.
4. Revenge: In particular the concept of justice based on retribution perpetuates conflict.
Bishop Desmund Tutu stirs us to confront injustice with this, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." I believe this requires skillful means and consideration for the long term out of compassion, rather than a strident attitude of “anti-injustice”.
It is said that to generate genuine compassion, one needs to realize that one is suffering, that an end to suffering is possible, and that others want to be free from suffering too. Furthermore, as Sharon Salzberg explains, "Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary. Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, and to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion...is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception."
For instance, a Buddhist woman was harassed, cursed and spit upon with vituperation by a gangster on the street. The hoodlum only succeeded in frightening the woman in the end, but she was quite upset by the incident. When the woman reached her teacher to ask what she should have done, “What would have been the appropriate, Buddhist response?”
The teacher said very simply, "You should have very mindfully and with great compassion whacked the attacker over the head with your umbrella."
I do not think justice as a virtue can be or should be done away with for the society at large; but when I perceive injustice, I accept it as my karma. The law of cause and effect has time and again proven to me that I am responsible for what I experience. When I perceive others experiencing injustice though, I try to mindfully act from any or all of the following bases:
1. The law of cause and effect. I determine my future karma depending on whether I alleviate, exacerbate or remain indifferent to the pain of any and all parties involved. It is not to be used as a concept to ridicule others or worse, intensify their difficulty.
2. Common humanity. Compassion is not reserved for only those who are compassionate to us or any specific sector of individuals, but all beings. All beings wish to leave suffering and attain happiness. Most fundamentally to Buddhists, all beings have the potential to realize awakening. “All sentient beings have the Buddha nature, no different than the Buddha himself.” (Avatamsaka Sutra)
3. Interbeing. We are all intimately connected in some way or another, “Our natures interpenetrate and interconnect in infinite intersections.” (Avatamsaka Sutra)
Reflecting on those who have experienced grave injustice acknowledged by all -- Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and others -- they never asked for justice avenged; instead, they ask for compassion even for those perpetrators against them and their people. So too, in the well-known conversation the young Buddha had with his cousin, the Buddha held the swan Devadatta shot down and cared for it because, “A life belongs to one who tries to save it, not one who tries to take it."
What is noteworthy from the Buddhist perspective too is that compassion requires a big heart that is not particularly sticky with a person or issue. This non-attachment allows us to access a pause before we respond to a challenging situation. Action or non-action from that objective state of mind prevents further aggravation and aggression. I know when I ask for compassion for myself, it is hardly about standing up and fight for myself. Compassion for myself is about the ceasing of anger, guilt and resentment -- it is about forgiveness. Along that line, I only wish compassion for all, may all suffer no more and may peace make their hearts full.
8/07/2010
Save the Date - The Alchemy of Our Spiritual Leadership: Women Redefining Power
Calling all women of spirit and faith!
~ Save the date ~
The Alchemy of
Our Spiritual Leadership:
Our Spiritual Leadership:
Women Redefining Power
April 28 – May 1, 2011
Voted "the most inspirational woman alive" in a recent survey!
This is NOT
your typical women's conference!
your typical women's conference!
Imagine the energy of more than 300 women ready for inspiration,
deep wisdom and potent co-creation.
deep wisdom and potent co-creation.
Registration opens September 1, 2010
7/30/2010
The Religion of Homonyms, Not Harmony
If we were in Hong Kong, you would not want to see me first thing in the morning. Why? Because the Chinese do not want to see a bald head first thing in the morning! A bald head is partly a homonym for emptiness (空), and as usual, the Chinese thinks about money and how that is symbolic of an empty pocket!
Food is such an important part of the Chinese culture and food selection among those with a penchant for lucky homonyms may determine their diet. For example, pineapple (黃梨 or 鳳梨) is a most popular fruit because in Taiwanese it sounds like “prosperity arrives” (旺來). A white sponge cake (發糕) is loved too because it is pronounced as fa gao, “get rich and climb high” in Mandarin. Stir-fried squid is an unpopular Chinese dish because it is the homonym for the slang, “You're fired!” (Thank goodness for vegetarians!) Watermelon (西瓜) is unlucky because it symbolizes returning to the Western Pureland, a heaven after death.
Fear of death is so prevalent in the Chinese culture, and many cultures, that the Chinese avoid the word “death” and its homonyms, such as the number four (4). Conversely, a favored digit among the Chinese is eight (8) because it means affluence or growing wealth.
Avoided and favored as they are, the death rate has not slowed and the gap between the rich and poor has not changed. In fact, sometimes the same words take on utterly opposite meanings in different Chinese dialects.
Looking beyond the quirky surface of homonyms, they really are reflections of a culture and its values. Affluence (八), births (三), longevity (九), victory and other prized possessions are symptoms or the fingers doing the pointing, rather than the moon of superstition. These values reflecting a culture and thoughts running through the minds of individuals are entertaining, though somehow sad.
Reflecting on the intentions of those who arrange their lives around homonyms, I see, at the least, humor mostly at the expense of others; at its most egregious, self-preservation embroiled in a framework of materialism and progeny, us vs. them, and winning vs. losing. Using said and unsaid homonyms rather than straightforward communication only make the intention of the instigators more palpable. For example, repeatedly sending emails at 4:44 PM to someone with the tacit understanding that “four” bespeaks of death, the notes begin to take on a tone of “Death! Death! Death!” Is it a curse, a death wish, or a threat?
The intention of someone who attempts to cast mystery around his teachings may be: “I am going to use it on you until you get used to it!” “You should get ready for death anyway!” Note the smugness of “I have the teachings or Lady Luck on my side, and I am now pointing out how flawed you are. Yes, I have the power to reward you and condemn you! Damn it!”
(Well, I have the power to return your gift, thank you very much!)
This reminds me of a story. Two American disciples went with their teacher to Asia. During the tour they watched their teacher yell at everyone who came to him, a very different way of teaching than in the U.S. The students noted it and when their master was away for a couple of days, they imitated their master and started yelling at everyone in sight, screaming at women for desiring equality, telling the non-whites that it is their karma for not being Caucasians or using profanities like cow shit. Whether they meant to break people's attachments or not, people got up and left. And deservedly so, they got a huge scolding from their master for their blind imitation.
I remember knowing some people in my life who were so good at communicating non-verbally using this type of coded language, not just to communicate personal desires to the universe, but to communicate with each other about collective action that is damaging -- of course it is damaging, otherwise why would they not communicate succinctly, explicitly and openly?! It is a means of communicating without leaving a trace, so they may never be accused of having instigated any harm. This is especially practiced by those who love a respectable facade. Unfortunately, too many people interested in preserving their personal or organizational face become so entrapped in their “status”, their “status quo”, they skew the proper means that initially led to their current status.
In the West, there is superstition around the number 13. People alter their behavior and day because of it. I hear Nancy Reagan avoids travels on the 13th. The strange ritual of the soccer manager before the World Cup games fascinated many too. Psychological pressure among politicians, CEO's, gamblers, sports figures and celebrities engaged in fierce competition may drive them to superstitious behavior. Superstition and ritualistic behavior impose a sense of control in the midst of fear, particularly fear over uncertainty.
For those who adhere to some faith tradition, superstition can also become rationalized as signs from God. To me, the difference between intuition and imagined messages is calculation. One slips in and acts before our rational mind even realizes while the other wraps itself in the shrouds of wondering and personal judgments.
The problem with any obsessive compulsive superstition or a constant focus on arranging externals so they somehow mean luck to us, is the lack of inner peace. The mind is actually a mess of thoughts garbled and gnarled several times over with different drama. As Walter Landon noted, "As soon as we wish to be happier, we are no longer happy." The association of cultural patterns, personal fears and desires, and the maneuver to display them in exactly one way or another are like unceasing waves in the mind.
Even if we were able to go through life trying to arrange lucky signs around us, we may never discover the serendipity in the clarity of inherent tranquility and the joy from committing a random act of kindness.
Venerable Master Hua and many have said that the Dharma is on its decline in Asia. Religious about superstitious double entendre rather than a mind of peace and acts of compassion, faith is misplaced more often in win vs. loss, us vs. them, and holy vs. evil. In the West and increasingly in countries with better education, those on a spiritual path understand to trust their direct experience, to test their assumptions and examine their paranoia and hungers.
With less superstition and more mindful witnessing of our thoughts, speech and action, we can “lead all beings to the fruit of kindness and joy. It is not the fruit of the Truth or good and evil; it is the meditative absorption for understanding the nature of that entity emptiness.” (The Braham Net Sutra)
Food is such an important part of the Chinese culture and food selection among those with a penchant for lucky homonyms may determine their diet. For example, pineapple (黃梨 or 鳳梨) is a most popular fruit because in Taiwanese it sounds like “prosperity arrives” (旺來). A white sponge cake (發糕) is loved too because it is pronounced as fa gao, “get rich and climb high” in Mandarin. Stir-fried squid is an unpopular Chinese dish because it is the homonym for the slang, “You're fired!” (Thank goodness for vegetarians!) Watermelon (西瓜) is unlucky because it symbolizes returning to the Western Pureland, a heaven after death.
Fear of death is so prevalent in the Chinese culture, and many cultures, that the Chinese avoid the word “death” and its homonyms, such as the number four (4). Conversely, a favored digit among the Chinese is eight (8) because it means affluence or growing wealth.
Avoided and favored as they are, the death rate has not slowed and the gap between the rich and poor has not changed. In fact, sometimes the same words take on utterly opposite meanings in different Chinese dialects.
Looking beyond the quirky surface of homonyms, they really are reflections of a culture and its values. Affluence (八), births (三), longevity (九), victory and other prized possessions are symptoms or the fingers doing the pointing, rather than the moon of superstition. These values reflecting a culture and thoughts running through the minds of individuals are entertaining, though somehow sad.
Reflecting on the intentions of those who arrange their lives around homonyms, I see, at the least, humor mostly at the expense of others; at its most egregious, self-preservation embroiled in a framework of materialism and progeny, us vs. them, and winning vs. losing. Using said and unsaid homonyms rather than straightforward communication only make the intention of the instigators more palpable. For example, repeatedly sending emails at 4:44 PM to someone with the tacit understanding that “four” bespeaks of death, the notes begin to take on a tone of “Death! Death! Death!” Is it a curse, a death wish, or a threat?
The intention of someone who attempts to cast mystery around his teachings may be: “I am going to use it on you until you get used to it!” “You should get ready for death anyway!” Note the smugness of “I have the teachings or Lady Luck on my side, and I am now pointing out how flawed you are. Yes, I have the power to reward you and condemn you! Damn it!”
(Well, I have the power to return your gift, thank you very much!)
This reminds me of a story. Two American disciples went with their teacher to Asia. During the tour they watched their teacher yell at everyone who came to him, a very different way of teaching than in the U.S. The students noted it and when their master was away for a couple of days, they imitated their master and started yelling at everyone in sight, screaming at women for desiring equality, telling the non-whites that it is their karma for not being Caucasians or using profanities like cow shit. Whether they meant to break people's attachments or not, people got up and left. And deservedly so, they got a huge scolding from their master for their blind imitation.
I remember knowing some people in my life who were so good at communicating non-verbally using this type of coded language, not just to communicate personal desires to the universe, but to communicate with each other about collective action that is damaging -- of course it is damaging, otherwise why would they not communicate succinctly, explicitly and openly?! It is a means of communicating without leaving a trace, so they may never be accused of having instigated any harm. This is especially practiced by those who love a respectable facade. Unfortunately, too many people interested in preserving their personal or organizational face become so entrapped in their “status”, their “status quo”, they skew the proper means that initially led to their current status.
In the West, there is superstition around the number 13. People alter their behavior and day because of it. I hear Nancy Reagan avoids travels on the 13th. The strange ritual of the soccer manager before the World Cup games fascinated many too. Psychological pressure among politicians, CEO's, gamblers, sports figures and celebrities engaged in fierce competition may drive them to superstitious behavior. Superstition and ritualistic behavior impose a sense of control in the midst of fear, particularly fear over uncertainty.
For those who adhere to some faith tradition, superstition can also become rationalized as signs from God. To me, the difference between intuition and imagined messages is calculation. One slips in and acts before our rational mind even realizes while the other wraps itself in the shrouds of wondering and personal judgments.
The problem with any obsessive compulsive superstition or a constant focus on arranging externals so they somehow mean luck to us, is the lack of inner peace. The mind is actually a mess of thoughts garbled and gnarled several times over with different drama. As Walter Landon noted, "As soon as we wish to be happier, we are no longer happy." The association of cultural patterns, personal fears and desires, and the maneuver to display them in exactly one way or another are like unceasing waves in the mind.
Even if we were able to go through life trying to arrange lucky signs around us, we may never discover the serendipity in the clarity of inherent tranquility and the joy from committing a random act of kindness.
Venerable Master Hua and many have said that the Dharma is on its decline in Asia. Religious about superstitious double entendre rather than a mind of peace and acts of compassion, faith is misplaced more often in win vs. loss, us vs. them, and holy vs. evil. In the West and increasingly in countries with better education, those on a spiritual path understand to trust their direct experience, to test their assumptions and examine their paranoia and hungers.
With less superstition and more mindful witnessing of our thoughts, speech and action, we can “lead all beings to the fruit of kindness and joy. It is not the fruit of the Truth or good and evil; it is the meditative absorption for understanding the nature of that entity emptiness.” (The Braham Net Sutra)
7/26/2010
7/01/2010
48 Hour Mantra Marathon for Peace -- July 4th Weekend
Test your fortitude for peace!
48 hours to pray for peace over the Fourth of July weekend. TCN Buddhist Center offers this nonstop mantra marathon for the survival of our planet and prevailing harmony among our indigenous brothers and sisters, fellow Americans and world citizens.
Researchers such as Harvard pioneer Herbert Benson have found that by directing the energy of sacred syllables as a collective, healing locally and in the distance occurs. Besides wishes for peace, half of the funds raised at this event will be donated to ACRS Walk for Rice.
Please register for meals in advance.
Suggested Donation is $30 for vegetarian meals during these 48 hours.
RSVP:
http://www.meetup.com/TheCompassionNetwork/calendar/13773898/
48 hours to pray for peace over the Fourth of July weekend. TCN Buddhist Center offers this nonstop mantra marathon for the survival of our planet and prevailing harmony among our indigenous brothers and sisters, fellow Americans and world citizens.
Researchers such as Harvard pioneer Herbert Benson have found that by directing the energy of sacred syllables as a collective, healing locally and in the distance occurs. Besides wishes for peace, half of the funds raised at this event will be donated to ACRS Walk for Rice.
Please register for meals in advance.
Suggested Donation is $30 for vegetarian meals during these 48 hours.
RSVP:
http://www.meetup.com/TheCompassionNetwork/calendar/13773898/
6/14/2010
Stepping into A New Realm
High School was a nightmare for me. I shiver at the thought of cliques shouting out their daily popularity index for their favorite cheerleader, back-biting and finger-pointing too often played out in the bathrooms for some reason, slick rumor mills and imitated moves meant to seduce in those pre-pubescent bodies. Unkindness was reserved for their targets, but really for the perpetrators.
Unfortunately, high school continues for many who never grow up.
In one of my first tastes of a women’s leadership workshop, I was dumbfounded by a list of shadows named. I never knew this was a common experience among women; I thought I was alone in my experience.
For twelve years I tried to drop my civil rights investigator knack at detecting discrimination until I reached a comfortable place where I was more often looking beyond gender, race, color, creed, religion etc., and seeing into the Buddha nature of each being I encountered.
Stepping into the territory of women of spirit and faith not only affirmed some observations that I never acknowledged but also made me realize that I was more comfortable among religious women. I am a straight though celibate nun, mind you, but “It’s just a feeling” that I am more comfortable with spiritual women. Not Asian religious fundamentalists of any tradition and not men who control and overpower. I sometimes dismiss “this feeling” because it is nothing rational or logical, and yet I am comforted and comfortable with how feelings are accepted as valid and intuitions are considered important among women of spirit and faith. Though I am very good at being logical and analytical, I cannot find all the answers through thinking. I stop thinking for answers.
This non-analytical and non-linear stream of consciousness is precisely what many spiritual seekers practice, including me on my Buddhist path. This and other inner spiritual methods may resonate with women who are interested in depth and deepening, perhaps more so than hands stretched toward the sky in the hopes of a hand extended in return.
This type of thinking (non-thinking mode), capable of being mastered by both men and women, requires awareness, egolessness, collaboration, being open to or even embracing differences through non-judgment, care, kindness and compassion. Qualities lacking in many earlier models of leadership, now more than ever, need to be brought to the fore.
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